Log: Madin and Haller
Jul. 26th, 2023 09:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsMadin, still largely avoiding everyone, runs into Haller
"You're Madin, right? Could you give me a hand here?"
"Uh, what?" Madin had gone on an early morning run trying to beat the heat and avoid some of the more avoidable mansion residents and now. "Yeah, uh. Sure."
"Thanks." Jim flashed the younger mutant a smile and gestured to a neatly sectioned off plot of land. Various items that represented the beginning stages of a fence were piled nearby in a more or less orderly fashion. "Alani talked me into pitching in, then ducked out to make a supply run," he explained. "I was hoping to get some of the foundational work done before she got back. Oh, I'm David, by the way."
"Thanks, I appreciate it." The telepath turned to pull a long pole of galvanized steel from the pile. A line had been marked in chalk about a foot from one end. "You're one of the people who helped pick up Shatterstar, right? Thanks for that."
"Yeah, he said he'd teach me some sword stuff." I nearly stabbed him when we were sparring. "I'm guessing he mentioned the whole uh. Knife hands thing to you?"
"Not him, but I heard about it generally. It sounds like swordwork would be a good compliment for them, and I know Shatterstar would love to have someone to practice with. Have you ever talked to Arthur? I don't think he does a lot of hand-to-hand, but I do know he knows some knife-tricks." The older man had moved to one of the small wooden markers that had been driven into the ground and settled the tip of the post against the ground. "Could you hold this post here for a minute? Don't close your hands around it, just lightly enough to keep it straight and upright."
"Got it." Madin moved into position. "Yeah, I've spoken to Arthur. He took me and Ben into Manhattan that first week. I didn't know he did knives. I thought he was just some actor that kept hitting on me."
"It's from his days as a stuntman, I think. Apparently he knows a few tricks. Hold on . . ." The older man paused to let Jack engage. He stretched out a hand and pushed. It was harder to sustain controlled pressure than to perform a simple telekinetic strike, but it did save time and the necessity of a post holer. Concentrating, the psi sunk the post into the earth up to the prescribed chalk line and nodded.
"Thanks," Jim said. "I can hold it steady or I can drive it in, but not both at once. You okay to help me do the rest?"
"Yeah, sure.We did fencing a bit as like, community engagement. Everyone needs fences repaired out bush, you know?" Madin moved down the line, picking up the next post.
"Community engagement?" Jim asked. "Who with?" He helped the younger mutant line up the post with the next marker and drove it in.
"Mining magnates mostly, up north. Or um. Sheep stations. Very outdoors education. Today we're going white water rafting and quad biking. Tomorrow it's repairing the dingo fence."
Jim raised his eyebrows. "Really? Maybe you should be lead on this fence, then. Are you working with someone for this?"
"You're the TK. You've got this handled. I'm pretty sure I don't even need to be holding the posts."
"Having TK doesn't mean I'm especially good with it.," Jim replied, sinking another post. "Not for this kind of thing, anyway. And of course you don't. I was impressed by the initiative. Do you go out and volunteer yourself, or just . . . do?"
"I mean, you didn't have to do stuff but what else were you gonna do?"
"Yeah, I know the feeling." Which was true enough. The counselor paced to the next marker. "I guess I was surprised because most of the people who do volunteering here are connected with some kind of resources rather than working solo."
Jesus Christ. "I wasn't volunteering here. It was back home. We got choices about connecting with community by volunteering and you couldn't do the good shit, like four wheel driving and camping unless you did that." Madin steadied the next post. "I'm not really - I'm not doing much here."
Jim nodded. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to be obtuse, I'm just still trying to catch up on everything. Lots of new faces, things to catch up on. Two more after this one and we're done, I think . . ." The metal slid easily against Madin's palms and settled itself into the dirt.
"Was that as part of Australia's national policy?" Jim continued, moving to the next position. He floated the post into place and waited for Madin to join him. "I only know broad strokes about the situation there. If you're tired of rehashing it for people, don't worry about it. Alani's a great talker. I'm not, so instead I just ask questions and hope no one notices."
"Yeah. Mutant specific services. You know. You have some police issues, next thing you know, you're 18, you can't comply with housing in your probation orders and you're off to mutie camp in the Northern Territory."
Jim nodded. "I can see that. It sounds a lot like the school-to-prison pipeline issue. Do they do anything to help you get work or housing afterwards?"
"I'm not sure I blame you; it's hard to want to take 'opportunities' that are compulsory." They were making short work of the posts; as Jim had hoped, it was a good way to keep the conversation rolling without laying too much pressure on Madin. He hoped they would forgive a little light probing. "If I can ask," he said, casually levitating the final pole, "why'd you decide to run?"
Madin blinked at him. "Is that a serious question?"
Jim took the pole from the air and studied it, as if testing its heft. "Sure it is. There are lots of reasons people run away. Sometimes you're running from something. Sometimes you're running to something. Given the reputation of some of those places I can make a guess, but there's no reason to assume when I can just ask." He offered the post to Madin.
"I dunno. Cos. Seemed better than staying there." Madin shrugged, unwilling or unable to expand on it further.
"Sure, as long as it's not another go of twenty questions."
"You're Madin, right? Could you give me a hand here?"
"Uh, what?" Madin had gone on an early morning run trying to beat the heat and avoid some of the more avoidable mansion residents and now. "Yeah, uh. Sure."
"Thanks." Jim flashed the younger mutant a smile and gestured to a neatly sectioned off plot of land. Various items that represented the beginning stages of a fence were piled nearby in a more or less orderly fashion. "Alani talked me into pitching in, then ducked out to make a supply run," he explained. "I was hoping to get some of the foundational work done before she got back. Oh, I'm David, by the way."
"Thanks, I appreciate it." The telepath turned to pull a long pole of galvanized steel from the pile. A line had been marked in chalk about a foot from one end. "You're one of the people who helped pick up Shatterstar, right? Thanks for that."
"Yeah, he said he'd teach me some sword stuff." I nearly stabbed him when we were sparring. "I'm guessing he mentioned the whole uh. Knife hands thing to you?"
"Not him, but I heard about it generally. It sounds like swordwork would be a good compliment for them, and I know Shatterstar would love to have someone to practice with. Have you ever talked to Arthur? I don't think he does a lot of hand-to-hand, but I do know he knows some knife-tricks." The older man had moved to one of the small wooden markers that had been driven into the ground and settled the tip of the post against the ground. "Could you hold this post here for a minute? Don't close your hands around it, just lightly enough to keep it straight and upright."
"Got it." Madin moved into position. "Yeah, I've spoken to Arthur. He took me and Ben into Manhattan that first week. I didn't know he did knives. I thought he was just some actor that kept hitting on me."
"It's from his days as a stuntman, I think. Apparently he knows a few tricks. Hold on . . ." The older man paused to let Jack engage. He stretched out a hand and pushed. It was harder to sustain controlled pressure than to perform a simple telekinetic strike, but it did save time and the necessity of a post holer. Concentrating, the psi sunk the post into the earth up to the prescribed chalk line and nodded.
"Thanks," Jim said. "I can hold it steady or I can drive it in, but not both at once. You okay to help me do the rest?"
"Yeah, sure.We did fencing a bit as like, community engagement. Everyone needs fences repaired out bush, you know?" Madin moved down the line, picking up the next post.
"Community engagement?" Jim asked. "Who with?" He helped the younger mutant line up the post with the next marker and drove it in.
"Mining magnates mostly, up north. Or um. Sheep stations. Very outdoors education. Today we're going white water rafting and quad biking. Tomorrow it's repairing the dingo fence."
Jim raised his eyebrows. "Really? Maybe you should be lead on this fence, then. Are you working with someone for this?"
"You're the TK. You've got this handled. I'm pretty sure I don't even need to be holding the posts."
"Having TK doesn't mean I'm especially good with it.," Jim replied, sinking another post. "Not for this kind of thing, anyway. And of course you don't. I was impressed by the initiative. Do you go out and volunteer yourself, or just . . . do?"
"I mean, you didn't have to do stuff but what else were you gonna do?"
"Yeah, I know the feeling." Which was true enough. The counselor paced to the next marker. "I guess I was surprised because most of the people who do volunteering here are connected with some kind of resources rather than working solo."
Jesus Christ. "I wasn't volunteering here. It was back home. We got choices about connecting with community by volunteering and you couldn't do the good shit, like four wheel driving and camping unless you did that." Madin steadied the next post. "I'm not really - I'm not doing much here."
Jim nodded. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to be obtuse, I'm just still trying to catch up on everything. Lots of new faces, things to catch up on. Two more after this one and we're done, I think . . ." The metal slid easily against Madin's palms and settled itself into the dirt.
"Was that as part of Australia's national policy?" Jim continued, moving to the next position. He floated the post into place and waited for Madin to join him. "I only know broad strokes about the situation there. If you're tired of rehashing it for people, don't worry about it. Alani's a great talker. I'm not, so instead I just ask questions and hope no one notices."
"Yeah. Mutant specific services. You know. You have some police issues, next thing you know, you're 18, you can't comply with housing in your probation orders and you're off to mutie camp in the Northern Territory."
Jim nodded. "I can see that. It sounds a lot like the school-to-prison pipeline issue. Do they do anything to help you get work or housing afterwards?"
"I'm not sure I blame you; it's hard to want to take 'opportunities' that are compulsory." They were making short work of the posts; as Jim had hoped, it was a good way to keep the conversation rolling without laying too much pressure on Madin. He hoped they would forgive a little light probing. "If I can ask," he said, casually levitating the final pole, "why'd you decide to run?"
Madin blinked at him. "Is that a serious question?"
Jim took the pole from the air and studied it, as if testing its heft. "Sure it is. There are lots of reasons people run away. Sometimes you're running from something. Sometimes you're running to something. Given the reputation of some of those places I can make a guess, but there's no reason to assume when I can just ask." He offered the post to Madin.
"I dunno. Cos. Seemed better than staying there." Madin shrugged, unwilling or unable to expand on it further.
"Sure, as long as it's not another go of twenty questions."
